Beating the hardest AI?

[HawkEyes]

I've been playing a lot against the hardest AI lately and I have generally got a lot better at playing. At best I can get up to half the points they have (providing I turn off goody huts and barbarians and technology trading)

It amazes me that there are some people on YouTube who have actually won against them. Have you ever beaten them?

 

[HawkEyes]

In deity I believe that the best leader to play as is Catherine of Russia. You see the AI are intimidating and dumb, you will have creative bonus and Imperialistic bonus. So you expand your borders quickly and can make settlers in half the speed.

When ever the AI ask for open borders (because your borders are ginormous at this point) you say no deal, even though they have a big enough army to crush you they respect your wishes. In the mean time you can settle in your own borders.

 

[georgjorge]

I'm not entirely sure if you are serious with your second post. Catherine is decent but far from the very best, and since Beyond the Sword expansion AI will NOT cross your borders to settle land behind you even with open borders (there are some special rules for Settlers transported with boats though).

As to your first point, don't bother looking at your score points too much. Even in Deity games that I eventually win, I only have half the points the leading AIs have (sometimes less) - until I hit a specific military tech (Construction for Catapults, Military Tradition for Cuirassiers) and "break out" by taking my neighbour's land. From then on it becomes a lot easier (though still difficult).

 

[Fippy]

and can make settlers in half the speed.

It's not that good, you get 50% on hammers but settlers also use food.
If you build a settler with 1 mine + normal city tile, you have 5 production without Imp and 7 with.

 

[HawkEyes]

So today I played a small map with 4 Deity AI Difficulty and I beat 3 of them to gunpowder. It felt great, and in the past I have managed to survive until an AI Player had a victory condition. This made me think I understood the hardest difficulty in the wrong way.

Perhaps the description "Mwahahaha Sucker" implies that this difficulty is more like a challenge mode and you win the challenge if you survive to the end, I've played a lot of matches and I really do not think it's possible to win unless you change the normal settings such as Turn off random events, turn off Goody huts, Give your self technology in world builder mode etc.